Epic Games, the creator of the popular video game Fortnite, suffers from a class-action lawsuit. The class-action lawsuit stemmed from the massive data breach that affected thousands of accounts in early 2019.
Franklin D. Azar & Associates in the United States in the District Court in North Carolina filed the class-action lawsuit. According to Polygon, the law firm filed the case on behalf of the affected users whose accounts became compromised.
The firm accuses Epic Games of failing “to maintain adequate security measures.” Moreover, the law office also said Epic Games failed to “notify users of the security breach in a timely manner.” In total, the members who joined the class-action suit amounts to more than 100 people.
Besides failing to address the data breach immediately, the manufacturer remains at stake due to “ascertainable loss” suffered by users. Based on the report released by Hypebeast, the company also accused Epic Games of other faults. This includes the company allowing “hackers to impersonate players and purchase in-game currency using credit or debit cards on file.”
In line with the game developer’s inaction, the plaintiff states affected users “have an ongoing interest” in the case. Doing so “[ensures] that their [personally identifiable information] is protected from past and future cybersecurity threats,” reports Polygon.
Brief Background
The series of Fortnite hacking incidents occurred in January 2019. As reported by Check Point, the gaming company encountered multiple vulnerabilities in its online platform. These vulnerabilities exposed not only personal account information but also compromised the safety and privacy of users at home.
Researchers and cybersecurity firms located the flaw in the login system, allowing hackers to obtain both usernames and passwords. The flaw also led hackers to gain access to V-Bucks with cards linked to gamers’ accounts, noted Eurogamer.
Following the issue, Check Point immediately notified Epic Games about the breach. While the video game developer rolled out a fix to the public, the company still failed to secure the platform.
The developer only acknowledged the breach two months after the initial unauthorized access occurred. However, Hypebeast reports that the company refused to disclose the number of affected accounts. It also failed to contact affected parties and accounts whose identities and information may become compromised in the breach.
Epic Games continues to remain mum about the recent lawsuit filed against them. However, it reached out to Check Point earlier this year, thanking the cybersecurity firm for its efforts.
